A Day in My Life

I realized that I only have three months left in the Czech Republic and I have yet to actually describe a typical day in my life. So here I go via a picture show!

Everyday my schedule is a little different – some days I have class at 8AM and other days my classes don’t start until 10AM. Regardless, each day I must wake up, eat breakfast, and go to school. I take two trams to school and back, which takes about 45 minutes. Today, it is light outside, but during our very long and drawn out winter I wait for the tram in the dark and sometimes snow. This is the main tram stop in the city, and in the background is the second biggest synagogue in Europe.



At school, I head to my office to prepare for my classes. I share an office with two other young, English teachers who are great. These women have helped me navigate the school, Czech language, and culture. I literally would be lost without them. Below you will find a photo of my office plaque, which displays that my only qualification for teaching English is the fact that I am an American…. You will also see inside the office.







When the bell rings, I run to class in one of the three enormous, grey, concrete, communist-era buildings. If I have class on the fifth floor of the first building, I must take an elevator that was built in 1966 and that is prone to breaking down. Most of my classes are filled with boys, but occasionally I will have a class with a few girls and another teacher is almost always in the classroom with me. Every five weeks my classes switch and I get all new students, so that I can teach all 1000 students in the school. This makes it very hard for me to learn each students name and implement large projects, but it also means that sometimes I can recycle lesson plans. Typically, I teach whatever the class’ teacher wants me to, but I also ask the students what they are interested in learning. The past few weeks I have had students interested in new topics like the Civil War, Prohibition, American Gangsters, the Super Bowl, etc., so I have been able to make new lessons and actually learn new things! As I said my classes switch every five weeks, but last semester only five of my sixteen classes were rotating, so I was able to really get to know a few students. Leaving the classes that I enjoyed teaching was very sad for my students and me. So much so, that some students gave me presents like flowers and chocolate. In one of my classes we had a big party to celebrate, where each student brought a different snack, and these students gave me a very nice beer stein on with there is a picture of Plzen. Below is a photo of me with a class of boys and of some students giving me the beer stein.





Depending on the menu, I will order in advance and eat in the school’s cafeteria. As I have previously written, every Thursday I sit at a table with my students and talk to them about a multitude of topics. Occasionally, and usually only when students haven’t arrived yet, teacher will also come to sit with. Below are photos of my favorite cafeteria meal, smažený květák (fried cauliflower), and some of my English table students.





After school, sometimes I meet with students, but every Tuesday, I play sports with another teacher (see previous posts).

Then I come home and make dinner or visit my favorite Kebab or Nepali restaurants, plan lessons for the next day, relax, and go to sleep.

Although I am living life out of my compfort-zone and far away from home, when I write it all down, life seems very simple. The past two weeks were very hard for me and I was beginning to yearn for home comforts. I have a feeling that this was the case because it was still very cold and snowing, but the last few days have been bright and sunny and I am feeling a lot better about spending three more months here. I am working on a few large projects for my classes and I have my next four weekends filled with attending birthday parties in various cities and towns. I bet that the time until I touch down in the US is going to fly by!

Spending Time With Students

In the beginning of my stay here, I was very reluctant to spend time with my students outside for school. This is in part because of the age difference and the fact that many of my students are male, and in the US it is unheard of for High School students to casually hang out with their teachers.

As time has passed and seeing as I am not an ordinary teacher, and I am closer in age to my students then the other teachers, I have become more relaxed about this.

Over the past few months I have gone to concerts, birthday parties, and to get tea with a few different groups of students. While I am still cautious of spending time with students alone and prefer group get-togethers, it has been nice to get to know my students and their personalities outside of the classroom.

With my students after one student's band's concert.

At a concert for my student's birthday. The band, Hibaj, is composed of a group of doctors that play mostly American music.

AMSTERDAM ∗ AACHEN ∗ BRUSSELS

For Spring break part II, I traveled with my friend Steve to Amsterdam, Aachen, and Brussels. It was a fantastic trip! Here I will outline some of the highlights:



Amsterdam and its canals are beautiful! Many of the houses built on the canals are crooked and look as though they are going to fall over, but many have been reinforced and this crookedness gives the city character! I loved seeing thousands of people biking around the city and the special biking lanes for them. Although it was quite cold, Steve and I managed to walk all around the city and visit five museums in about three days! The highlight for me was the Van Gogh Museum, which is temporarily being housed in the Hermitage Amsterdam. Seeing some of Van Gogh’s famous works that I had seen in pictures or read about in books was pretty special. We also saw the very well done and moving Anne Frank House, Jewish Historical Museum, the Stedlijik Museum of modern art, and the Heineken Museum/Experience. At the Jewish Historical Museum, I went to the resource center and was able to obtain copies of the Pinto family tree drawn by A. Santcroos in 1758. This tree is connected to my grandmother Doris Stiefel’s family. Of course, you cannot go to Amsterdam without a very, very, very quick jaunt through the Red Light District. We agreed that if this district did not have peep shows, the neon red lights reflecting in the canals would be more enjoyable. Overall, its diverse cuisines and plentiful culture puts Amsterdam high on my list of cities in which to return.

A canal in Amsterdam.


From Amsterdam we went to Brussels and Aachen. Aachen is the birthplace of my grandmother Doris Stiefel. Here we walked around and hunted for the home that my grandmother grew-up in, the cemetery in which my great-great-grandparents rest, and a few more of our family’s historical sights. While, I am a little unsure if I actually saw the house my grandmother lived in, I know I was in the right city and that I walked the streets that she did. Aachen is most famous for the Aachener Dom, which is the oldest cathedral in Northern Europe, Germany’s first UNESCO World Heritage sight, and where Charlemagne was crowned and buried. This cathedral is actually where more than 30 kings were crowned and it is quite ornate! Near the Aachener Dom is the treasury where, Steve and I saw Charlemagne’s bust and many jewels and cardinal robes. We also walked by the Rathhaus (city hall) and the Marketplatz (market square) before eating a nice Thai lunch. I couldn’t leave Aachen with getting a pastry filled with marzipan, which is a dessert that my grandmother has taught me to love.

In front of the Ratthaus and a statue of Charlomagne.


Charlomagne's bust.

In Brussels, Steve and I enjoyed eating famous Belgium waffles and fries (separately), as well as the original sight of one my favorite restaurants, Le Pain Quotidien (the daily bread). In addition to eating lots of other delicious meals, we went to the Margitte Museum and walked around the Royal Palace. I also visited the EU Parliament museum, which was a bit of a sensory overload because it had so many pictures and facts, and different interactive-media displays. And I visited the famous Manneken Pis (little man pee) that was dressed up for St. Patrick’s Day! There are many rumors why there is a statue of a little boy peeing in Brussels, ranging from a little boy putting out a fire to save the city, a baby-lord peeing on troops before a battle, to a memorial to a lost boy. The small statue has 800 outfits, so he is well prepared for any holiday or activity.

Yummmm...

In front of La Grand-Place in Brussels.

Brussels by night.

Manneken Pis.

Although this trip was only seven days, it was amazing! I had a lot of fun exploring these three cities and their literal and metaphorical treasures.

A Very Czech Passover and Easter

In hopes of celebrating Passover in the Czech Republic, I emailed members of both the Jewish community in Prague and Plzen. I did not expect much of a response from the Plzen community because the Synagogue here operates as a museum. However, I received an email inviting me to RSVP for a Passover Seder in a hotel in the center of Plzen. RSVPing over-the-phone and in Czech was quite an experience, and after much confusion I handed my phone to another English teacher at school to help. On Tuesday, March 26th at 2:30PM, I left school and took the tram to the hotel. Inside the hotel’s restaurant there was a long table decorated for the Seder. I took a seat near the end of the table, but as more and more people began to enter the restaurant the table was extended again and again by the waiters, and my seat became close to the middle.

I asked the woman sitting across from me if she spoke English and I lucked out! Not only did she speak English, she was a professor of religious and Jewish studies at West Bohemia University and gave me a book that she wrote. Also, her daughter, who arrived a few minutes later, had just returned from a trip around the world and also spoke English. I enjoyed talking with this mother and daughter, as well as the visiting American Rabbi and a Czech-Israeli woman.

While the style of the Seder was not one that I am used to, I enjoyed seeing the Plzen community connect! Prior to this event, I did not know that a community still existed in Plzen. As it turns out, they meet for all major holidays. This Seder had about 50-people in attendance. All of whom were talking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. The Prague Jewish community views Plzen’s as a liberal and maybe an irreligious community, but the truth is that it is a community of friends and families that keep their traditions alive through their bonds.

Since the Seder, I have traveled to-and-from Prague for multiple meetings. In Prague and Plzen, once again large markets fill the main squares. Instead of selling Christmas ornaments and decorated with Christmas lights, these markets sell Easter egg ornaments, baskets, and willow sticks. Wine, beer, sausages, nuts, and sweets also fill the stalls. Due to Easter, there was no school on Thursday, Friday, or Monday! However, I was asked to teach my students about Easter traditions in America, which meant that I had to ask my friends about their traditions and do online-research. During my Easter lessons, I asked the students to compare US and Czech traditions. What I have learned and today, I witnessed, is that men of all ages buy or make willow whips or pomlázka to lightly (it is supposed to be lightly) hit women. Hitting the women makes them fertile, healthy, and beautiful for the entire year. This is a public beating that is not reprimanded. After being whipped, women give men Easter eggs, and every leap year women whip men or splash men with water. Additionally, children go on egg hunts and decorate eggs, and families enjoy meals together.

Today in the Czech Republic, many people woke up to a white Easter. Although birds have begun to chirp, it is still snowing here. After my morning walk, I entered my apartment building and heard what sounded like Christmas carols. As I walked up the stairs the music grew louder and louder. It was coming from a group of ten-or-so young men. As I passed them on the stairs they each politely said dobry den (good day) and a few of them genteelly whipped my butt.

Here is to a healthy and good-looking year!

Happy Spring!

Miriam and Mom Take On Poland Part II: Zamosc and Warsaw

During the second half of “Miriam and Mom take on Poland,” we traveled to the small town where my great grandmother grew up, Zamosc, and Poland’s capital, Warsaw. These two places contrasted greatly in terms of size, liveliness, architecture, etc.

However, they both had one thing in common – archives! We spent roughly two hours each in both Zamosc and Warsaw researching my mom’s family. We found many interesting facts about relatives we didn’t know existed and we were able to trace one line back to the late 18th century. Of course, most of this research we are waiting to confirm with archivists and relatives. Regardless, it was amazing to see enormous books filled with birth, marriage, death, housing, and travel records. In Zamosc, some records were in Polish and some were in Russian because this region’s boarders have changed over time. To help us understand what we were looking at, we hired a wonderful Polish translator. With all research, the discovery of new information leads to answers, as well as to more questions. Therefore, there is more research to be done to uncover the mysteries of our pre and post war Polish ancestry.

Additionally, in Zamosc, we were able to visit the school my great grandmother attended, which is still in use as a school. We also found the previous homes of some of our relatives. We spent time walking around the main square, and eating great Italian and Polish foods.

We were very fortunate to have help from an older lady at the Zamosc train station who spoke no English, and a friendly train attendant in Lublin who helped guide us to the right trains and seats from Zamosc to Warsaw (because we had not made train reservations prior to getting on the train). During the train ride, we enjoyed watching the movie "Inception." When we arrived we promptly found our hotel just steps from the train station in the center of Warsaw’s bustling downtown. After settling in, we went to the Warsaw Uprising Museum that told the story of Poland’s resistance during WWII. My mom and I were both impressed with a 3D video of Warsaw after the war because it revealed how the war's destruction was so far-reaching and devastating to the city’s infrastructure. It is obvious that Warsaw is still recovering, as there are many building projects and some buildings that are still filled with bullet holes. The subsequent day, we spent exploring different monuments commemorating the Warsaw ghetto, uprising, etc. Not open to the public, yet impressive in size and scope was the building for the new Museum of the Polish Jews (scheduled for Summer 2013). We also went to a restaurant that specializes in perogies, Warsaw’s old city, and the Chopin museum (which had an impressive collection of Chopin memorabilia and was very interactive), as well as strolled by the Copernicus Science Center along the Vistula River. Our final meal was spent in Tel Aviv, an Israeli restaurant.

All in all, this was a pretty amazing trip. We began unraveling many mysteries, learned about Polish and Jewish history, and ate great perogies! Of course, a trip with your mom during Purim would not be a trip without homemade hamentashen and her helping you polish your boots! Thanks for everything, Mom!


Doing Research:


Mom in the main square in Zamosc. Behind her is Ormianska Street, where we believe our relatives lived:


The Nozyk Synagogue, which survived WWII and is situated in downtown Warsaw (notice the skyscrapper in the background):


Warsaw's old city:


Memorial to the Warsaw Ghetto:


View of the Palace of Culture and Science from our hotel room:

Miriam and Mom Take On Poland

We entered Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau of our own will, wearing two layers of pants and socks, and multiple sweaters and jackets, which we were not asked to remove. We were not separated by age, gender or physical strength. Only by our ability to speak English were we counted off into groups of 24 and lead down the path and through the gates that in English read, “Work Makes You Free.” My mom and I traveled to Poland to experience the horrors that our actual and spiritual relatives faced during the Holocaust. This trip is more than about feeling the sadness and oppression they felt. It is to show the perpetrators of these atrocities that we are alive and have not forgotten what they did, and in part to study our family history and to do so together.

During our seven-day journey, which I have named, “Miriam and Mom Take On Poland,” we will travel in Krakow, Zamosc, and Warsaw. What we have realized so far is that Krakow is a very hip and international city. There are many vegan and vegetarian restaurants, as well as cafes that provide cuisines from around the world. Additionally, like most of Poland, Krakow has a thriving Jewish community. In fact, Poland has one of the fastest growing Jewish populations in the world. In Zamosc, we will visit and research Pearl “Morris” Zimmerman’s life. Pearl is my great grandmother of whom I have many memories. While she was a proud American, she emigrated from Poland to the US circa 1920. In Warsaw, we will visit the sight of the Ghetto Uprising and board our planes back to our respective homes.

Today, we walked through the barracks in which countless men and women lived and died, but we experienced the facilities as an outdoor classroom where more than 1.5 million people perished. In Auschwitz I, the barracks now contain collections of human hair, suitcases, eyeglasses, and other personal belongings. To us, the most moving display was of 110,000 shoes. Each shoe represents a different owner and life. To compliment these shoes there were thousands of shoe polish brushes and containers. Each person sent to Auschwitz was allotted 25 kilograms of baggage, and because they were sent on cattle cars with the idea that they were going to a new and better life, they packed shoe polish so that they could look presentable for job interviews and for meeting their new neighbors. Yet, after arriving at the camp, they never again saw their belongings nor the sunrise and set. We were told that from the time a new train arrived with Jews from across Europe it took two hours for them to be processed and exterminated by Zyklon B gas. It is mind boggling to think that we spent four hours at Auschwitz, which is enough time for two trains, full of people like me, to be killed.

We left breathing and with our hearts beating, and with an immense gratitude for our guide who was so thoughtful and empathetic. She probably gives this tour everyday, but she still showed so much passion, and was so genuine and moved by the sights.

Now my mom and I can return home to tell the story of those left behind and what we saw. I do not write this blog post with the intention of making the reader sad. Instead, I hope you understand how moving this trip was. I learned many new facts about the Holocaust, which I had not been taught in Hebrew school. For example, seven Polish villages and 300 homes were destroyed to make Birkenau. Unfortunately, discrimination, war, and genocide still exists in our world today. I wish for a more peaceful world where people are no longer judged based on their religious, ethnic, gender, sexual, nor racial identity.


Entrance to Auschwitz I - "Work Makes You Free"


There is no escape...


While it is the Jewish tradition to leave stones and candles, it is the Polish tradition to leave roses at grave sites. There were roses throughout both camps.


At the entrance to Auschwitz II-Birkenau.


Mom leaving a stone from Israel on the remaining cattle car in Auschwitz II-Birkenau.


Never forget.

Slovakia Mid-Year Conference

At the end of January I took a little journey with the entire Czech Fulbright Commission and Fellows to Piestany, Slovakia. Piestany is a small spa town in western Slovakia. We took this trip in order to conduct a shared mid-year conference with the Slovakian Fulbright Commission. Here we shared stories, swam in the spa-pool, and enjoyed the Slovakian pub scene. While making new friends, we shared presentations about our experiences. The research Fulbrighters shared what they have found or are studying, and the teachers talked about their experiences, favorite foods, afterschool activities, etc. Prior to the Conference, I was concerned that listening to all these presentations would be repetitive and boring. However, our shared teaching experiences turned out to be very diverse. The Fulbrighters brought fun stories and photos that kept me captivated. You can find photos of me at the Conference on the Fulbright Commission’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/czechfulbright